Our bodies are made up of almost 70% water. Water intake and hydration have an important impact on how you feel and overall health.
Often we can overlook our body’s cry for water. Symptoms of dehydration are often ignored.
Common symptoms of dehydration:
• Thirst
• Dark Urine
• Fatigue
• Digestive disturbances like heartburn and constipation
• Chronic fatigue
• Premature aging
• High Cholesterol
• Weight gain
With adequate water intake you can not only improve the performance of your body, but you can also improve your brain function.
Here are some ways the water helps you:
• Water helps maximize physical performance. This is particularly important during the summer and when the temps are higher. Dehydration can make exercise feel much more difficult both physically and mentally. Losing as little as 2% of your body’s water can have a significantly negative impact on your performance.
• Energy and Brain function is strongly influenced by hydration status. Even mild dehydration can impair brain function, mood, memory, concentration, and increase anxiety levels.
• Hydration helps with fat loss. Studies indicate that by drinking more water you can increase your metabolism. By being chronically dehydrated you can slow your metabolism. Drinking water can help you feel full and as a result you avoid over eating.
• Fluids helps the kidney and digestive tract to work optimally. Both the urinary tract and the digestive tract work best when hydration is adequate and consistent. Constipation is a very common problem and is often caused by not taking in enough fluids.
How much water is best? Really no one can tell you that answer. Every body is different. Some say the 8×8 rule with 64 oz a day, some say you should drink according to your body weight. But it is really based on the individual. Do some self-experimenting and use your urine color to help you best determine what your body needs. Urine should be close to colorless most of the day. Drink often when you are awake. Make sure you drink at the first sign of thirst and drink more when you exercise or when it is hot outside. And make sure you drink in between meals to ensure you do not confuse hunger with thirst.
Tami Mungenast Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach
